The Battleship USS Iowa

Description

USS Iowa (BB-61) is the lead ship of her class of battleship. Following the cancellation of the Montana-class battleships, Iowa is the last lead ship of any class of United States battleships and was the only ship of her class to have served in the Atlantic Ocean during World War II. USS Iowa's main battery consisted of nine 16 in (406 mm)/50 calibre Mark 7 guns, which could fire 2,700 lb (1,200 kg) armor-piercing shells 20 nmi (23 mi; 37 km). Her secondary battery consisted of twenty 5 in (130 mm)/38 cal guns in twin mounts, which could fire at targets up to 12 nmi (14 mi; 22 km) away. With the advent of air power and the need to gain and maintain air superiority came a need to protect the growing fleet of Allied aircraft carriers; to this end, Iowa was fitted with an array of Oerlikon 20 mm and Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns to defend Allied carriers from enemy airstrikes. During World War II, she carried President Roosevelt to Mers El Kebir, Algeria, for a 1943 meeting in Tehran with Churchill and Stalin. Transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1944, Iowa shelled beachheads at Kwajalein and Eniwetok in advance of Allied amphibious landings and screened aircraft carriers operating in the Marshall Islands. She also served as the Third Fleet flagship at the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay. During the Korean War, Iowa was involved in raids on the North Korean coast, after which she was decommissioned into the United States Navy 'mothball fleet'. She was reactivated in 1984 as part of the 600-ship Navy plan and operated in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets to counter the recently expanded Soviet Navy. In April 1989, an explosion wrecked her No. 2 gun turret, killing 47 sailors. The Iowa was decommissioned for the last time in 1990, and was initially struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1995. She was reinstated from 1999 to 2006 to comply with federal laws that required retention and maintenance of two Iowa-class battleships. In 2011 she was donated to the Los Angeles-based Pacific Battleship Center and was permanently moved to Berth 87 at the Port of Los Angeles in 2012, where she was opened to the public as the USS Iowa Museum where she is a top ten regional attraction. This is a brand new addition to the Anatomy of the Ship series and will comprise an brief history of the ship, illustrated with contemporary photographs, scaled plans of the ship and superb 3D illustrations to bring the ship to life.

Stefan Draminski was born in 1982 and is a naval researcher and illustrator. Since 2002 he has worked on numerous publications on military history subjects. Using 3D software, he creates highly detailed and historically accurate digital models of warships, aircraft and vehicles. His particular interest in the Imperial Japanese Navy has led him to learn Japanese. He lives in Torun, Poland, with his wife, children and dog.